After being recorded being able to cover 10 meters of pitch in a single second, there is no wonder Salah is being compared to Olympic heroes such as Usain Bolt. His speed and scoring abilities even earned his boots a temporary place in The British Museum! Skills.

Salah’s speed gives him the edge above other players in his field, which is why, with digital evolution changing PR like never before, he is the perfect person for the team. New online channels have given opportunity for more information to travel across the globe in seconds. Talking about the pace of PR today, Elise Mitchell, CEO, Mitchell Communications Group says, “We’ll have to get even faster at research, knowing the data that matters, both understanding and being able to find the information required, and then having the insights you need to make better, faster decisions.”

This speed certainly seems beneficial when an average of 92,000+ articles are published every day – and that’s just online. Your PR team will need to be on top of this information at all times and across all channels, ensuring your campaign is as responsive and effective as it can be.

Known as ‘The Flea’ for his ability to effortlessly dart around the pitch and out of the way of oncoming defenders, Lionel Messi has talent recognised by fans around the world. Impossible to tackle when on the ball, Messi’s ability to change direction without losing momentum means he has the power to dodge obstacles and avoid trouble, which has resulted in him receiving only one red card throughout his entire career.

Marketing Week’s Mark Ritson often talks at length about the importance of sticking to a solid strategy, which is, of course, a valid work ethic in its own right. However, in a time of rapidly changing communications, there should also be room for agility; a skill that is more and more in demand according to industry leaders:

“I think even more flexibility will be required in the years ahead, because business pressures will increase, and clients will be seeking more immediate gratification, so strategic chops will be more important than ever.” – Peter Marino, President of Tenth and Blake and former chief of public affairs and communications at MillerCoors.

“You need someone who can acknowledge change is happening, and take the steps — sometimes painful ones — to make sure the enterprise can make the changes to remain relevant, to be able to say, “Wait a minute. That’s not how we should be doing it tomorrow, even though that’s how we’ve been doing it.” – Chris Atkins, former Managing Director, public relations and internal communications at PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP

Interviewed recently, England manager Gareth Southgate described the hat-trick hero as ‘irreplaceable’, with his unshakable focus being a key credit to his success:

“You can dismiss penalties as being easy, but the length of time he had to wait before taking that (first one) and the number of distractions, to then keep focused, start again and refocus tells you a bit about the mental toughness that he’s got.” – Gareth Southgate.

Harry Kane seems to be able to find his target no matter where he is on the pitch and this strength is absolutely key when executing your campaign. Good PR involves having a strong vision and the ability to see what’s ahead. Always remind yourself what your ultimate goal is as this will help ensure your campaign is realistic and achievable.

London PR Lecturer and Media Relations expert, Maude Davis advocates this approach:

“Every PR activity should contribute to clear outcomes and it helps to know where you are starting from in terms of getting there. For example, does the PR need to do a lot of work creating awareness in order to drive action. Or, does it need to overcome barriers or perceptions to get people interested and engaged so that they become more supportive?”

One of the older players in the tournament, Andres Iniesta is recognised as one of the best players of his generation. His wisdom and intelligence even garnered him the nickname “El Cerebro” (The Brain).

When we talk about intelligence, we are talking about the right insight that will inform your campaign. You should have researched every facet of your audience’s behaviour, every channel they connect with and the types of information they respond to.

Cesc Fàbrigas reiterated our point nicely when he spoke about his old pal Iniesta:

“Physically, it’s important, obviously because the game nowadays depends a lot on that. But when you have the quality, when you have the intelligence, it can sometimes compensate.”

Translated into publicity speak, it doesn’t matter if you’re the biggest agency in the world with a 50-man-strong team, if you haven’t done your research then your campaign is worthless.

We’re sure we don’t need to explain to you why Ronaldo is one of the most skilled players to have graced a football pitch, but according to the man himself, it’s taking risks that will get you results:

“In your life you do not win without sacrifices and you must take risks.” – Cristiano Ronaldo

This is coming from the man who currently holds the record for the highest number of goals scored across all UEFA competitions. (July, 2018)

Having the bravery to take that big idea forward is what will set you apart from other agencies, as Todd Defren, CEO of SHIFT Communications explains:

 “Clients care less and less about where good ideas come from, care less about the pedigree of the agency, care less if you’re an advertising or a PR firm. The leaders who are going to thrive are the ones who create and evangelize bold, market-changing ideas.”

With every campaign should come a big idea; something that is superbly simple, yet be brave and compelling. Get this nailed down and your campaign is sure to score big.